Review of YogoMat – New Ultra-Portable Yoga Mat

I discovered YogoMat last May on Kickstarter. My first experience with Kickstarter was to support the making of The Veronica Mars movie, but after I backed that project, I found several other projects that I decided to support as well. I was kind of obsessed with Kickstarter last year the way I’m obsessed with Birchbox today.

I backed a variety of projects on Kickstarter, everything from helping theaters upgrade to digital projection at The Colonial in NH & a drive-in in Washington (because I used to love going to the drive-in in high school; I don’t want those kids to be deprived of the experience!) to a knitting project by women in Ifugao called Ricefield Collecive, which I’ll write more about in a future post. I backed other movie projects, including one starring Kirsten Vangsness & Joe Montegna from Criminal Minds; it’s a film noir called Kill Me, Deadly. I also backed a local film about Celia Thaxter’s Victorian garden, a few writing projects and a yoga clothing start-up. Eventually, I had to stop going to Kickstarter because I’m an easy sell, but you get the idea – there are a ton of worthwhile projects, and some of them come with great rewards. For instance, I received a Veronica Mars t-shirt and stickers; I’ll also get a PDF copy of the script & a DVD of the movie. For supporting YogoMat, I received a YogoMat.

YogoMat was one of the final projects I backed before starting my indefinate hiatus from Kickstarter. I found this product when I searched the site using the keyword “yoga.” I took a photo of it right next to an average-sized mat & you can see how impressively compact it is. I absolutely have handbags it will fit in. Of course, with a travel mat like this, some mat width is sacrificed for the functionality (it’s 1.5mm thick), but the grippy mat surface is great. For someone who prefers a thick or more cushiony mat, it may still be fine for a practice heavier on standing postures.

There are a lot of things I like about this mat. It’s washable and biodegradable. The straps on the mat can attach it to a clothesline or shower rod for drying. It really is the perfect travel mat for a day you want to avoid extra baggage; I imagine it would be even better for someone living in a city like NY or Boston than it is for myself, but I think it will be perfect for Yoga in the Park. I’ll have to wait for June for that test, but I’m very happy with the mat. If you would like to pre-order a mat, you may do so here. ** Save 10% with the promo code: PRE-ORDER ** Before the discount, the price is $64 plus shipping, and you can check out the available color/strap combinations at yogo.net. The mats will ship sometime after Feb. 14th. An advantage of backing the campaign is that my mat was the cost of my donation, $40, and I was able to choose my own strap color. I do wish I’d been more creative with my choice of strap color, but I guess I was feeling really purple that day.

The Commitment to Sustainability on Yogo’s website explains: “We create products that are sustainable and healthy. Our rubber sheets come from renewable tree resources in South East Asia, and are stitched and packed with love by our small family-owned sewing and shipping teams up in Spokane, Washington, USA.

The YOGO Mat is 100% recyclable, and the rubber mat itself is 100% biodegradable. YOGO packaging uses a sustainable reduced-waste design, is 100% recyclable, contains 50% recycled content, and even our shipping materials are recycled and biodegradable. We are equally as committed to social sustainability, and 1% of all of YOGO’s profits go to charitable organizations that use yoga to better the world.”

I’ll be doing my best to promote more brands that are eco-friendly and give back. If you have any suggestions for companies who fit this description, please send me an email.

By Mary Salmon

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